So we removed a crab apple tree ? I think that's what is was. years ago and due to health concerns never got rid of the stump. Now in the area around the stump there are these hard little sprouts or shoots that are have come up. What are they and how do I get rid of them. I have more photos but it only lets me do one.
Thank you

Its your old crabapple, doing its best to come back from the roots. You can dig up the stump or use some chemical, like brush killer, to get kill it.

Thank you so much they are literally all over the back half of my yard and they hurt if they are accidentally stepped on. Do I just remove the stump and they well go away or should I dig them out

Welcome to the site! Good info by Lucy, you will not be able to dig them up, they just keep coming back, recommend the brush killer.

Okay as you can tell I know nothing about lawns and have no green thumb. Will they shrink back down, die off and come out?

The only way to get rid of it is to kill the root. If its as extensive as you say, you will have to use brush killer. Yes, it will kill the lawn too.

As @Lucy68 and @crawgarden said, you will have to use a brush killer. If this is a part of the yard you don't care about you can spray the entire area. I once had a similar situation but didn't want to kill a lot of the yard so I walked the area and sprayed the weeds individually. Wait a week then walk through and spray what you see. The population should decline after several weeks. Every Saturday grab your spray bottle and get those guys.

Unfortunately it's smack dab in the middle of my yard … why it was there I have no idea 😅 but thank you guys so much. I guess I'm grabbing brush killer

KaraDylanLoh said: Okay as you can tell I know nothing about lawns and have no green thumb. Will they shrink back down, die off and come out?

If I was dealing with this... I would probably pick one to keep.

Otherwise, I would just keep the shovel handy and keep lifting these pieces.
Eventually the roots will get exhausted and stop sending up new shoots.
I would leave the toxic poisons at the store.

Lucy68 said: The only way to get rid of it is to kill the root. If its as extensive as you say, you will have to use brush killer. Yes, it will kill the lawn too.

I disagree.
There's never an "only way" to do something.

It all depends upon how many years you want to spend on this project.

https://ask2.extension.org/kb/...

I hate that extension is so enamored of using chems.

KaraDylanLoh said: Unfortunately it's smack dab in the middle of my yard … why it was there I have no idea...

That's where I would have put it.
Down here, we need any shade that we can get... and while a crab apple doesn't produce all that much shade... I think having one in the middle of that turf is a pretty good idea.

The first step in treating a problem is positively identifying it. If you are seeing these pest plants in other areas of your lawn, and not just around the stump area of the removed tree, they are not sprouts from the old tree roots.
I would suggest contacting your state university extension, they have extensive fact-based knowledge of the plant problems and remedies for your specific area.
From your 1st photo, the 'rosette' looking plant on the lower left and upper right, resembles a common weed in areas of the Mid-Atlantic, Bull Thistle or maybe Canada Thistle.
If you check with your local extension agency (free service) they can tell you exactly what it is, and exactly what to do or use to rid your yard of it. That way you won't be spending money on some product that may or may not work.
Whatever product you use, it is very important that you follow the directions exactly, and read the entire label for safety, and optimal results.
They are nasty weeds!!
Wishing you the best of luck!

love2garden2 said:
From your 1st photo, the 'rosette' looking plant on the lower left and upper right, resembles a common weed in areas of the Mid-Atlantic, Bull Thistle or maybe Canada Thistle.

Looks like a dandy lion to me...
I feed them to chickens, but they are good eatin' this early in the spring...

This guy says to let the wild rabbits eat them:
https://backyardwildlifeconnec...

Pretty certain the OP isn't asking about the dandelions.

I would point out that if you pick one or more of these sprouts and let them grow into trees, they don't necessarily have to be crab apple trees. You can graft other apple varieties onto them. It's not difficult. I'm a self-taught grafter and now have an apple tree with 19 different varieties on it.

Kara, can you post another close-up pic of the pesky plant? Do you see growth coming from the crabapple stump? Or just a plant growing next to it? It's a mystery that has piqued many of us! Putting together the clues, including a clear picture of it, will help. When you step on it, you say it hurts? Thorny, coarse, sharp sticker edged leaves? Thanks 😊

None of you have ever experienced a run away crabapple root system? They're notorious for doing exactly what that one's doing. Everything in the description and photos fit. It's not a dandelion or a privet, it's a crabapple. To get rid of it, Kara may be better off digging up the entire yard and starting over. The easier fix is to poison every sprout. Let them grow up a foot, cut them off and paint the cut with undiluted glyphosphate or brush killer.

Hi Lucy, I hadn't heard of the roots of the crabapple staying viable after the tree is cut down.
I have no idea how invasive that would be. Good grief. We cut down a single crabapple tree in our yard about 5 years ago, but never saw a reemergence of sprouts. I don't recall using glyphosate on it. OSU extension is a great and trusted resource. Thanks for sharing that article. Very interesting.
Thanks!

People call different products "Brush Killer". Some will kill everything, including your lawn, some will only go after broadleaf weeds and trees and shrubs, otherwise known as - not grass.. If you use the type that only uses Triclopyr as an active ingredient, that will not kill a grass lawn (not sure about grass lawns in the southern USA). Follow directions for spraying it, follow directions for painting it. Triclopyr is very volatile, and does great in the cool of spring, not so great in the summer.

I like chickens; my next door neighbors have them, and ducks, and we have less than half acre lots. But I can say that if I got a nickel ever time stone talks about his chickens, adding nothing to the subject at hand, I have..... a dollar.

Leftwood said:
ever time stone talks about his chickens, adding nothing to the subject at hand....

https://www.goodreads.com/quot...